Vinos del Viento Amber 2024
Amber just happens to be the name of Michael’s sister, and it’s also a nod to the orange wines made in Georgia.
Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Moscatel de Alejandra from a single vineyard in Campo de Borja, Aragn, Spain, grown on chalky clay soils.
Taste Profile: Pale amber colour, with a nose of intense primary aromas of white flowers, lychee and quince. Dry and refreshing on the palate, with fresh stone fruit, citrus and moscatel grape flavours and a persistent, juicy, slightly sweet finish. The soils give the wine fresh acidity and minerality.
Winemaking Process: This unique and expressive natural wine was made using artisanal winemaking methods with minimal intervention. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts took place in stainless steel at controlled temperatures, and the wine was matured on its skins for three months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered with less than 30mg/L total sulphites. A limited production of 5,000 bottles.
Winemaker: Michael Cooper, originally from Santa Barbara, moved to Spain in 2002 to be with his partner Rosario and, drawing on his background in Spanish wine writing, decided to grow vines himself. He and Rosario built their own winery in the Campo de Borja D.O., known as “the Empire of Grenache” for the Cierzo wind that blows strong and often through the Ebro Valley giving the winery its name, Vinos del Viento, “wines of the wind.” Rather than chase yield, Michael farms for quality, preserving Aragn’s old-vine heritage by paying growers high, fair prices for local varieties made with minimal, environmentally respectful intervention.
